Twist and Smash'd Sports - Paint Night, Long Island City

Unless you've been to Ecuador, you probably haven't seen Twist and Smash'd's signature dish, the twisted potato. The father-daughter team behind the eatery discovered the twisted potato at a tiny cafe in Ecuador and knew that Americans would love the treat—a cross between a potato chip and french fry that's crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and served on a stick.

They brought the idea back here and opened their Twist and Smash'd franchise. Visitors to Long Island City's Twist and Smash'd Sports can enjoy the twisted potato plus the sports bar's three Bs: burgers, beer, and bocce.

• The burgers: Blue-cheese-topped buffalo chicken burgers, lump-crab-meat burgers, and a veggie burger with caramelized onions and mango salsa prove the chefs aren't afraid to experiment with a classic.

• The beers: The bar's extensive beer menu runs the gamut from pale ales and hard ciders to imported bottles of Quebecois La Fin Du Monde.

• The bocce: This is not just a sports bar in the sense that its TVs broadcast NFL games; there's a bocce court right on the premises. The game is refereed by the bartenders—their rule is final and they won't be swayed by promises that you'll wash all their socks for a month.